Wanda Ortiz stood outside her house on Third Street in Passaic while her daughter, Yesenia Velez, and her sister Leyda Ortiz, sat nearby. They said they were worried about their family members in Puerto Rico, which was battered by Hurricane Maria on Wednesday.

The hurricane knocked out all power in Puerto Rico, toppled cellphone towers and ripped the roofs off homes and businesses. Winds reached speeds of 150 mph.

Ortiz said she spoke to another sister, who lives near the northern coastal municipality of Dorado, at 8 a.m. and at that time her sister had reported that winds were strong. At 6 p.m, she said she hadn't heard from her sister again, and neither from her father and two brothers, who live in San German, in the Southwest part of the island. She said she's been calling as often as she can.

"Nothing, we are trying to get in touch with them, but nothing,'' said Ortiz. "I'm so worried, I don't know anything about them."

Puerto Rico also took damage from Hurricane Irma around two weeks earlier.

In Paterson, a city with a sizable Puerto Rican population, the Rev. James E. Staton of the Church of God and Saints of Christ said they can relate to the struggles after a hurricane following New Jersey's problems from Sandy and Irene.

"Being a pastor we do keep our Latino brothers and sisters in prayer as well as their family members who may have been affected as well during this time," Staton, a former councilman in Paterson, said.

Staton noted there's a "broad spectrum" of events happening in the world lately. A deadly earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday in an area many Passaic residents had personal ties to in their lives.

Hurricane Maria is expected to pass just north of the Dominican Republic overnight and into Thursday. The storm remains several days away from the continental U.S., and forecasters say Maria's most likely path has it turning north without making landfall in Florida or elsewhere on the East Coast, USA Today reported.

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management reported that the department will "keep a close eye" on Hurricane Maria and be prepared for requests for assistance.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) stated their thoughts and prayers are with the people in Puerto Rico. Menendez also advised anyone in the path of the storm to dial 311 for shelter information.

The Jersey City Puerto Rican Heritage, Arts and Culture organization planned a hurricane relief event scheduled for Sept. 30. A supply drive will be held at the 10th Annual Copa Maribel Men's Softball Tournament at Mary Benson Park on 3rd Street from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.